The figures of Liu Six and Liu Seven quickly vanished beyond the cave estate. Almost imdiately after, Liu ng’s Transmitting Moon Token flickered with a gentle white glow.
Her heart stirred; she infused a trace of spiritual power into it, and at once Qin Shuang’s ever-cold voice erged.
“Junior Sister, I’ve co out of seclusion.”
Liu ng blinked. It had been quite so ti since Qin Shuang announced her retreat, and they hadn’t contacted each other since. Coincidentally, Liu ng had questions she wished to ask her.
Still, the proper courtesies had to be observed.
“Congratulations, Senior Sister. Your seclusion is complete?”
“Hehe, I was fortunate enough to break through,” Qin Shuang chuckled softly. “Now, I’ve reached the fourth layer of Qi Refinent—barely stepping into the threshold of the mid-stage.”
“Fourth layer of Qi Refinent!?”
Liu ng’s eyes widened in shock. She instantly regretted asking the question…
How had Qin Shuang advanced so quickly?
Su ier had made it clear: to break through from the early stage to mid-stage of Qi Refinent, one must locate three cultivators of the sa realm and, using the Xuanpin Art, plant soul imprints upon them—fully seizing their minds.
The difficulty of such a feat was self-evident.
And yet, Qin Shuang had managed it in so short a ti. Truly, her thods remained as unfathomable as ever.
Sensing Liu ng’s silence, Qin Shuang’s voice rose again.
“What’s wrong? By now, you should have reached the perfection of the third layer of Qi Refinent, correct? You must have gone to see Master as well, and learned the thod to break into mid-stage?”
“That’s right,” Liu ng admitted calmly.
“Then aren’t you curious how I so quickly found three suitable ‘furnaces’—and succeeded in breaking through?” Qin Shuang’s tone was laced with enticent. “I can share this secret with you. But… you’ll need to do sothing for first.”
Hearing this, Liu ng nearly laughed aloud in her heart.
Yes, she was curious—but to say she needed this information was another matter.
After all, she possessed an advantage unknown to others: the ability to endlessly summon clones.
Whenever she wished, she could raise three clones at the third layer of Qi Refinent, mark them as her own, and thus easily shatter her bottleneck.
What others deed nearly impossible was, for her, only a matter of ti.
Still—she could not afford to act too indifferent.
Any ordinary disciple stuck at the bottleneck of the third layer would surely crave such knowledge desperately. If she appeared too calm, it would only arouse Qin Shuang’s suspicion.
So Liu ng played along, feigning hesitation before replying softly:
“And what is it that Senior Sister requires of ?”
“Nothing much,” Qin Shuang said lightly. “You know of my Soul Banner. Within it, aside from the master soul, no other spirits remain. I’d like to purchase more souls to strengthen it.”
“The City of Luo Feng, I cannot enter; the traders at Sancai Square don’t deal in souls. But… I do know of one place where such things might be acquired—the Mission Hall.”
“The Mission Hall?” Liu ng echoed. She had just learned of its location from Su ier yesterday—it was simply the place where disciples accepted assignnts. What did that have to do with souls?
“Yes,” Qin Shuang explained patiently. “Within the sect, there are tis when captured cultivators are interrogated. Their bodies perish, leaving only remnant souls. These are of no use except to Luo Feng City, so eventually, they are sent there. If you happen to visit the Mission Hall when a batch has not yet been taken away, you may be able to buy them. I’d like you to make the trip for .”
Liu ng’s mind stirred.
What was a chore for Qin Shuang was, in truth, easy for her.
After all, she had already entered Luo Feng City herself!
Why go to the Mission Hall at all? Within Luo Feng City, souls were everywhere—she could purchase as many as she wished with ease.
“Very well,” Liu ng agreed, then added casually, “But Senior Sister, I don’t have any spirit stones. To buy souls with Sancai coins… I fear that might—”
“Heh. Check your cave entrance,” Qin Shuang interrupted. “I left a pouch of spirit stones there.”
She had anticipated this objection.
Stepping outside, Liu ng indeed found a bag tucked in the corner of the ground. Opening it, she saw ten neatly arranged spirit stones. Enough to purchase several souls.
Her brow furrowed slightly. Qin Shuang had the ability to deliver spirit stones to her doorstep, yet couldn’t be bothered to visit the Mission Hall herself?
Was she hiding sothing? Or… laying another trap?
But since there were ten stones in hand, Liu ng chose not to press further. She simply nodded and accepted.
Once the communication ended, she exhaled slowly—only for her expression to tighten again.
There was one issue: at present, she had no available clones.
Liu Six and Liu Seven had already gone to the secret realm. That left only herself and her main body inside the cave. With her true self present, she could not risk venturing out.
After a mont’s thought, she summoned with a whisper:
“Qingyue.”
Monts later, Qingyue hurried into the hall, kneeling respectfully.
“What does Master command?”
“Go to the Mission Hall for .” Liu ng carefully described its location and handed over five spirit stones. “Head a hundred li westward. Beneath the ground, you’ll find a coin-shaped cave entrance. Enter, and you’ll arrive there.”
“See if souls can be purchased. If so, use all the stones. Also, if there are missions suited for us, accept them as well.”
“Yes, Master!” Qingyue replied without hesitation. She transford into a streak of light and vanished into the distance.
The Mission Hall was not far; with her speed, the trip would take less than half an hour.
Sure enough, she soon returned, dust-covered, entering the hall once more.
In her hands she held a palm-sized, crystalline glass orb.
Through its transparent surface, faint silhouettes could be seen drifting aimlessly inside—souls she had bought at the Mission Hall.
“Master, I’ve returned with the souls,” Qingyue said, bowing deeply. But guilt tinged her voice. “However… this servant was unable to find any suitable missions. All tasks required at least mid-stage Qi Refinent. I… I could not—”
“It’s fine. You’ve done well,” Liu ng reassured her, waving aside the concern.
Indeed, she now understood why Su ier hadn’t bothered to ntion the Mission Hall earlier. With her cultivation still so low, she would not qualify for any missions.
Taking the orb, Liu ng extended her spiritual sense into it, inspecting the collected souls.
Most were damaged, their auras weak and flickering. Clearly, in life they had endured tornt beyond imagination, their consciousness long since fragnted.
But just as she prepared to withdraw her divine sense, her eyes suddenly froze.
One of the souls—though faint and fragile—retained a relatively intact form. Enough that its original appearance could still be faintly discerned.
That face, ethereal and refined, yet so achingly familiar…
Liu ng’s pupils contracted sharply. She recognized her instantly!
This was none other than the righteous female cultivator she had seen tortured in Su ier’s cave—
Lin Qingwan!
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